Bend it like Beckham, the continuation
by smikile
Summary: How I imagine the story will continue. Will Joe and Jess relationship survive all the obstacles that stand on their way? The long distance, the family's aversion, the secrecy? Joe/Jess Clearly I don't own any of the characters, only the story line.
1. En route to the future

1 EN ROUTE TO THE FUTURE

** Jess' point of view**

Jess sat down on the plane next to Jules. It was going to be a long 12 hours. They sure don't make economy that comfortable at all… Oh well, she had other things on her mind keeping her from noticing the small uncomfortable seat she would be stuck in for the next 12 hours. Namely one thing. Joe. She still could believe what just happened!

Him showing up at the airport… his declaration…their kiss! She was lost in her romantic reverie for a while.

Eventually she noticed Jules had her head on her palm and was staring at her. "What?" She asked her, her lips still curled up in a dreamy smile. Jules eyes held all the amusement that Jules voice couldn't hide: "Care to tell me what happened back there?". Jess just gave her another dreamy smile as she hadn't fully processed herself and was not capable of putting anything into words yet. "Okay, well, I'll have to guess then" said Jules, "I bet my money it's because a certain bloke showed up… you know… his name starts with J… and ends with oe…" she was nudging her friend while she was pronouncing those last letters. She had no idea what just happened but it must have been something big, and interesting, to bring such an expression on her best friend's face. Curiosity was really biting her now and she was going to plead with Jess to get it out of her.

"Well…" Jess started, unsure of how to put all that she was feeling into words, "so Joe called me… and…" "aaaaaaand?" Jules pushed her to continue, "and he said that he couldn't let me go without knowing that even with the distance, and even if it concerns my parents, we might still have something". Jules exited face what all Jess needed to hear. "And then we kisses" Jess continued in a very dreamy tone. Jules almost shrieked at that and was over the moon hearing about it. She hugged Jess and said she couldn't have been happier for the two of them!  
The two friends continued talking for hours, first about Jess and Joe, then about Jess and Joe and Jess' family (a point that concerned the Indian girl extremely), and finally their minds turned to what was laying ahead of them in the States. After several hours they finally gave in to sleep (much to their neighbours pleasure) and stayed in that comatose state that intercontinental flights put you in until just before the landing. At the pilot's announcements they looked at each full of excitement and enthusiasm about what was waiting for them and decided that they were going to make the most out of the next four months. "If I have to be away from Joe for that long might as well make sure it's for a good cause!" Jess thought to herself. And with that last thought they touched American ground.

** Joe's point of view***

He couldn't believe it! He was ecstatic! He kissed her! She kissed him! They kissed! And it was epic! He wish he could have never let her go. Knowing that they were going to be 4 months apart was already depressing him. And the idea of facing her parents after those 4 months could literally make him hyperventilate on the spot. Thank god they didn't see him kissing their daughter at the airport! Although, maybe if they had they wouldn't have let Jess get on that plane…

He shouldn't think things like that. It was an amazing opportunity for Jess and he was so proud of her. He knew well what she had been up against and knowing that she somehow managed to turn her parents around on her playing football gave him hope she could manage something like that for the two of them. Not that it mattered that much, he was never going to let her go, parents approving or not. Of course not having to sneak around would be a great bonus and it would have been nice to start well with Jess' parents, he already had a long and complicated relationship to mend with his father… That was going to require enough work on its own.

Joe's thoughts were interrupted by Jess' father, Mr Bhamra came to shake his hand and to thank him for what he had done for his daughter. Baba looked at him with a stern and strong stare that made him feel very uncomfortable in his shoes. Maybe Jess' and his kiss hadn't gone as unnoticed as he had thought… however, Baba didn't bring it up. Instead he insisted that Joe would join the Bhamra and the Paxton for dinner, as their were all going to the Indians' house to share a meal and get together as to not feel their daughters absence too much.

He tried to politely refuse but Baba was unmovable and Joe decided it could be good, it could give them a chance to get to know him before they were gonna try kill him for dating their daughter. "Tony, why don't you get in the car with Joe, so that he won't get lost getting to our house?" Baba suggested. "Sure Uncle-ji, that's a good idea" said Tony. They started walking towards the car and Tony and Joe easily stroke up a conversation about football.  
The car ride was going very well and Joe was really enjoying Tony's company. The Punjabi man was also pleasantly surprised by Joe and decided that he was not that bad at all. He could definitely see what Jess saw in him. He wasn't just hot, he was also a very nice and polite young man who would make a good boyfriend. They were nearing the Bahram's house when Tony breached the subject of the kiss: "So, Joe, I have seen you kiss Jess at the airport". Joe had a mini heart attack. _Oh shit, he thought, we are busted!_ He started mumbling some muffled excuses "It's not what you think, we were just, I was just, she is.." Tony decided to put him out of his misery, "Relaxed," he laughed "I already knew how Jess felt about you and what had happened between the two of you. I am just happy you finally got together! Although the timing is kind of awkward.."

Phew, Joe relaxed instantly, it was good to know Tony already knew about them, to him it made it a little bit more real. Jess had strong enough feelings for him to talk about that with her best friend. He decided it was a good sign. "Yes I know, I wish I had done that weeks ago and not just minutes before she boarded her plane" He assumed a serious and thoughtful expression and Tony understood right away why. It was not going to be easy to be in a long distant relationship, and these two had literally just got together! His thought reached out to them and to Jess, who she hoped would still manage to have a good time in the States even though she had left Joe behind.


	2. Back in his arms

2 BACK IN HIS ARMS

It had been 4 long months. 4 months of late night phone calls, long texting sessions and thousands of emails. Somehow they felt even closer after 4 months apart. They missed each other like crazy but they got the chance to talk about everything and anything. Joe had proved to be super thoughtful and caring. Jess couldn't help but smile at the thought of the bunch of flowers she received 2 weeks ago, just before her finals started. _I hope they'll make you smile during these hard 2 weeks. I am sure you'll do amazingly. Can't wait to see you. Love Joe._  
Oh she couldn't wait to see him alright. The idea of finally touching him, of feeling his lips on hers again, his muscly arms around her body, to rest her head of his broad chest… she turned to Jules in hope of distraction, she was starting to feel quite hot and an airplane was not the place to have those kind of thoughts. She blamed Joe for it. It was his fault after all…

It had all started a few months after she left. Joe was telling her how much he missed her, how much he wished he could be holding her tight and place a few delicate kisses on her neck.  
 _Maybe not so delicate either_ , he added.

She texted that she couldn't wait to be against his chest again, _to slide my hands under your shirt and feel your skin_.  
 _My hot abs you mean?_ He replied teasingly. _  
Well if you ask, you do have a pretty hot body…_ The texts continued on that tone and they were leading them down a dangerous road. It was always Jess that put an end to them before they went too far though. Not that she didn't desire him that way, it's just that she couldn't think of him naked without being overwhelmed by her Punjabi tradition and upbringing. What would her mother do if she knew what her thoughts were towards a man who wasn't her husband and who, biggest problem of all, was a _goreh_!  
Those thoughts always worked like a cold shower on her, bringing the sexing to an abrupt end.

On Joe's side of the water, however, things were a bit different. He couldn't keep his beloved little Indian girl out of his head. He seemed to be always thinking about her. All of his mates noticed, which wouldn't have been so bad if they had eased up on the teasing. Because he wouldn't elaborate at all they were gone off on a wild goose chase, coming up with any kind of theory regarding their mate's girl. He had always been reserved about the matters of the heart but this time he was also held back by their current situation with her family. He would be a dead man walking if they knew. Especially if they knew the kind of thoughts he had about her at night, when he was alone in his bed… Oh he really couldn't wait to have Jess back in his arms, although he had no idea how he was going to refrain from kissing her right there and then, in front of whomever might have been looking.  
Thank god Tony and him had become good friends and he already had a plan for that…

**At the airport**

There she was! Walking through the security doors with Jules by her side. She looked even more stunning then he remembered. He couldn't have cared less about the sleep strikes left by the pillow on her face, or her hair being all messed up by such a long flight. Their eyes met and there was so much being told without any words. Love, desire, happiness. Tony squeezed his arm and Jules gently nudge her friend to help them broke eye contact. It had lasted a lot longer than the few seconds they thought it was… Jess' mother and father hugged her tight and started asking her a lot of questions. Luckily they didn't let her go and he didn't have a chance to hug her, like he just did to greet Jules. He wasn't sure he could ever had let go of her. They kept furtively looking at each other, trying not to be too obvious. It was already a miracle that Jess' parents thought he should be there greeting the two girls, once his players, back from their first semester playing soccer in the States. _Don't mess it up, don't mess it up, don't mess it up_ Joe had kept saying to himself all the way there, in the car with Tony. The Indian man was well aware of the situation and did his best to help Joe keep it under control.  
At the moment of getting into the cars Tony somehow convinced the Bahram to let him take Jess home in his car, the same car Joe was going to be in, with the excuse he was going to have to go to work soon after and wanted to speak to Jess. In reality Joe wanted to "speak" to Jess, he wanted that really badly.  
Jess looked confused about the arrangement at first but she quickly understood what was happening and played along.

They started heading towards Tony's car, a few meters away from the Bahram's, and slowly put the luggage in the trunk, slowly enough so that Jess' parents would toot their horn and leave. Once they weren't on site anymore Tony somehow managed to get them both in the car's back seat so that he could start driving away while they "spoke".

Jess was looking straight into Joe's eyes. Those beautiful glacial blue eyes that she dreamt of so often. He was staring back at her. They were barely moving. Just taking in each other's presence. He gradually moved his hands to get hers and then started inching forward. She wanted to kiss him so badly but she just couldn't have enough of having him right there, in front of her, for real. Very similar thoughts were going through Joe's head. Tony's presence was completely forgotten, they didn't even notice the car starting to move. Not a single word was uttered in the car. Tony turned on the music, trying to give them some privacy. Joe and Jess didn't even seem to notice. The only thing the two lovers could hear was each other's breathing. They started slowly inching forward and stopped millimetres away, for just a second, before their lips finally touched. It was electric. Jess gradually opened her lips more and Joe started moving his tongue into her mouth, exploring it softly. They scooted closer together, without stopping their tender embrace. Jess could feel Joe's hand on her back and in her hair, she was getting lost in his embrace. The kiss got more passionate, and heated, and she was loosing her mind.  
"Ehm ehm" an embarrassed hum from Tony failed to reach their ears. "Ehm hem" he tried again. Nothing. "Guys I am sorry but we are 2 blocks away from Jess's house… you should stop kissing!" Still nothing, if anything they seemed to be getting even more into it.  
Tony pulled up on the side of the road and turned around to tap Joe on the shoulder. "Yes?" He muttered, dreamily, just barely detaching his lips from Jess'. "Jess' dad is staring at you" Tony tried the scared tactic, which worked immediately. Joe jumped out of his skin and out of Jess' arms, all the sudden he was near the door, a good meter away from Jess, looking around with terrified eyes. "Hahahahaha" Tony was bent in two by laughter. "Idiot" Jess muttered, still short of breath. "Hahaha, sorry guys but I've been trying to get you two to stop for minutes now" he added, regaining a bit of his composure. "We are two blocks away from your house, Jess, and you two really need some time to tidy up your appearance!". At Tony's words they looked at each other and noticed that he might be right. Somehow during that kiss, (a kiss that apparently lasted a good 20 minutes..) Joe's shirt had gotten all crumpled, several buttons were undone and the shirt was untucked and lifted at the back. His hair was thoroughly messed up and his lips had a lovely red colour and swollen appearance. Overall, the perfect looked of someone who just enjoyed a thorough make out session. Jess' look wasn't much better. Her polo was revealing most of her stomach and lower back, her bra needed some adjusting and her hair and face resembled Joe's. Her appearance really screamed _I have been thoroughly kissed_ and she knew it. Joe loved that looked on her and all that he wanted to do was to kiss her again, even harder. _Fuck it_ , he thought, _won't be able to very soon_ and with that he launched at her, his lips finding hers in seconds and his hands starting moving up and down her bare back. Jess was taken by surprise at first but very quickly gave in to his "attack". Tony just shook his head, "only five more minutes" he muttered, taking his phone out. _These two are going to get into so much trouble_ , he though, smiling. He couldn't help but be happy for his friend and this _goreh_ boy who he had become quite close to.

The five minutes had gone way too quickly for Jess and Joe's taste but Tony menacing words that Jess parents would start to wonder where they were forced them to break it off and straighten up their clothes as much as they could. Tony pulled up the driveway and Joe started feeling very nervous. They hadn't decided when they were going to break the news to Jess family and he started wondering whether she wanted to do it there and then! As if she had read his thoughts she whispered "Not now Joe, I want them to enjoy having me back at home first" and then she worriedly added "Is that okay?" "Yes my dear, I am fine with that" he smiled back, very relieved. It wouldn't have been the right time now, he agreed on that.

With Tony leading and Joe one step behind Jess with her luggage, even though they both wished they could be walking in holding hands, the three of them went in.


	3. Homecoming

3 HOMECOMING

As soon as Jess walked in the house her parents were all over her. A new round of hugs and kisses was in order, her parents were so happy to have her back at home, it was heart warming. Jess had missed them very dearly and she was over the moon to be back home. Jess' sister, Pinkie, was also there, with her pregnant belly of 4 and a half months. While Jess' parents were too busy greeting their daughter home to notice anything suspicious, Pinkie's expert eyes immediately picked up on Jess' and Joe's appearance, on their crumpled clothes and swollen lips. She knew very well what that meant, having herself looked like that at times after some secret rendezvous with her now husband Teetu. She couldn't help but being a little angry and annoyed at it. She hadn't even seen her little sister yet and she had spent quite a while, judging by her appearance, making out with that _goreh_ … She didn't dislike Joe. Indeed she had gotten quite used to his presence in the house. Somehow he had become a regular playing cricket with Baba and he had even been invited for several dinners, always together with the Paxtons though. She now realised that there was far more to him than just being Jess' coach and she wasn't sure how she felt about it… She was going to have a chat with Jess as soon as possible though. If their parents caught up with what was going on they were never going to allow the young girl back to the States and she wanted to protect her little sister, make her see how high the stakes were, and all just for a _goreh_ boy… _he isn't worthy_ , she decided.

"Jessminder go freshen up before dinner. Joe I hope you will join us given you are here?" Mrs Bhamra didn't give any second thoughts on why Joe was in her house, instead of the Paxton's, or his own really… She had always enjoyed having guests for dinner and Joe had, on several occasions, showed a very good appreciation of her cooking, which always flattered her. "I wouldn't want to impose on your family tonight, Mrs Bhamra." "Oh that's nonsense, Jess' coach is always welcome here, look at all that you have done for our beautiful daughter, please stay." Joe couldn't help but (happily) oblige. He was actually over the moon to have the opportunity of spending some more hours with Jess. "I better take Jess' luggage up to her room, Mrs Bhamra?" "Yes please Joe darling, thank you". And with that excuse he sprinted up to try and catch Jess in the relative privacy of her room. He had quite some thoughts on how to spend a few minutes up there with her…

 _Knock_ _knock_ , "Yes?" Jess replied. "It's just me Jess, may I come in?" She quickly opened her door with a big smile. She was still fully dressed, she had been taking in the familiar surrounding and thinking about what it meant to be home for 4 weeks. It was going to feel so weird to be home with her parents after the freedom she had experienced in the States, but she was also very happy to be back there. And Joe was here too… "Your mum asked me to bring your luggage up, I was more than happy to comply.." Joe said with a smirk on his face. He proceeded to putting the two suitcases down, closing the doors and wrapping an arm around Jess' waist. "I thought I could help you change into something more comfortable…" he said in a very sexy voice that immediately stirred something in Jess. He leaned forward and started kissing her, very intimately at first and very very passionate soon after. Jess was just as into the kiss as he was and somehow he spun her around and was holding her against the wall, pressing his body against hers, moving his hands up and down, pulling her right leg up and holding her sexy butt. That's how Pinkie saw them when she walked in. She didn't know Joe was up here and was coming to speak to Jess about the Irish man, to talk some sense into her younger sister.

She hadn't knocked. She had never knocked at her sister's door. She wished she had knocked this time. The two were so involved that they didn't even see her come in.

"What the hell do you two think you are doing?" She spoke, loudly enough to sound menacing but not enough to be heard by the people downstairs. She had quickly closed the door behind her and placed her hands on her hips, in the best imitation of her mother.  
Joe and Jess had a heart attack. They literally jumped apart and were so embarrassed that their faces could have caught fire by how red they were. Pinkie was too upset to laugh about it. "You must be crazy, what if Baba or Mama had walked in now!" They both looked down embarrassed to death. "Jess, they would never let you go back to America, have you thought about that? What are you doing, why are you risking it all for this _goreh_ boy that will never be welcomed here!" She spoke directly to Jess, pointing her hand at Joe. Those words really hurt them both. Jess hadn't thought about it and saw the truth in her sister's words. Her parents would totally flip and she would be under house arrest until she had been promised to some perfect Indian boy that she wouldn't even meet till their wedding. Joe was also upset about Pinkie's words. He also hadn't thought about that. He knew how he felt about Jess and that her feelings for him were just as strong but was he doing the right thing by her? Her being with him could cost Jess her dream of a life time. He would never forgive himself if she would lose such an incredible opportunity over him and he wasn't sure how their relationship would survive if something like that happened.

Pinkies last words were still resonating in his mind, _this goreh boy that will never be welcomed here!_ He thought he had come a long way with Jess' parents but he now realised that being their daughter's white coach was very different to being their daughter white boyfriend, and that that was probably never going to sit right with them. How could they hope to have a future together if her parents and family were never going to accept him. How could he break Jess away from her family and be okay with it. Would she ever even have a fall out with them over him?

These and many more thoughts were assaulting him but then Jess slid her hand in his and that put a stop to all of it. "Pinkie, I am sorry about what we were doing now, we will be more careful, but I love Joe and I won't ever leave him, I hope that you can get to know him and love him the same way I do, I am sure that Baba and Mama will get over it eventually but even if they won't, I am prepared for anything that might come our way!" _Wow_ , Joe thought, _did she just say she loves me? I knew she did, and she knows I do, but she had never said it to me yet! She also said she'll be with me regardless what her family thinks…_ "Jess" he muttered, with a cracked voice, feelings overwhelming him. "Joe" Jess said turning to him "I know we haven't talked about this yet but I am really prepared to do whatever it takes for us to be together". At that Joe's eyes started to water and he took her hands. He couldn't speak but his stare spoke volumes. "Jess please think about this more" Pinkie pleaded with her. "There is nothing more to think about Pinkie. Actually, I think we should go tell my parents, after all I promised you we would talk to them when I was back, what do you think Joe?" He wasn't so sure about this, but he trusted her "if you think now it's the time, okay". "You are crazy!" Pinkie stormed off upset. What was her sister thinking? Her parents were going to kill them both and make her life miserable. She made her way downstairs waiting for the apocalypse to start.

Jess took a deep breath and turned towards Joe. "Are you sure you want to do this now Jess?" "There is never going to be a good time for us to announce something like that. I know that it won't go down well but at least we'll have 4 weeks to make them turn around. And if they don't it won't take me too long to pack up my stuff and come stay with you" She tried to lighten the mode with that joke but her heart was only half in it. She was terrified by what she was going to do but it had to be done and she was telling the truth to Joe. She knew her parents were never going to be okay with it for a long time and she didn't want to sneak around to see Joe for years to come. _Let's rip it off like a band-aid_ she thought. She turned to get the door but Joe stopped her. "There is something I need to tell you before we go do this" he said. Jess looked at him quizzically. "I love you too" Joe said, meaning every word of it and hoping to convey with those words how much she meant to him and how much he appreciated what she was up against and ready to sacrifice for him, for them to exist. Jess got all of it and more, she knew what Joe meant and she replied with the only way possible, a deep and emotional kiss.

With that, they left the room ready to face the scariest conversation of their lives.


	4. (Almost) Confession

Author's space:

Hi all, sorry I was away for so long. Life took over. Please let me know what you think of my story and encourage me to continue if it's worth it! I'm in uncharted territory here, this is my first fanfiction, I hope to be doing a good job!  
\- Guest - whoever you are, thank you so much for your review, it's the main reason I've posted a new chapter!

4 (ALMOST) CONFESSION

"Mum, Dad, we have something we want to tell you" Said Jess, walking in the room. She was holding Joe's hand, to get strength. Her parents noticed that and assumed a quizzical look on their face. _Why is she holding her coach's hand?_ "What is it Jessy dear?" Her mother asked. Jess took a deep breath and started saying "Joe and I are in lo.." but a cry interrupted her before she could finish the word. Tony run in the room and looked so upset, he was crying and they all immediately focused their attention on him. "Tony what is it?" Baba asked his nephew, very worried about his state. Tony was a mess and took him a few attempts to utter: "It's my mum, they just told me, she is at the hospital, she had a heart attack". At that Jess flew by his side to give him a big hug and show him all her support. The whole family came together, Jess and Joe's attempt to speak out completely forgotten, for now. "Oh, Babaji, please save her" Sukhi was quietly praying. "I'm so sorry Tony" Jess was whispering between tears, holding Tony. Mohaan was standing still, shocked by the news. Joe and Pinkie looked at each other and a tacit understanding was reached. They were going to talk about it later, now it was time to help the family in such tragic time. "What hospital is she at Tony?" Pinkie enquired gently. "West Middlesex" he said, in between tears. "Let's go, Joe'll take you and Jess and I'll take mum and dad". With that they all got in the two cars and started driving away.

**Pinkie's car**

Mr and Mrs Bhamra were silently crying, holding each other. Tony's mum was Mohaan's sister-in-law and she had always been very present in the Bhamra's life, she felt more like a real sister to the both of them. She was quite old but had always been in great health and the heart attack came as a real shock to everyone. Pinkie was trying to reassure them and eventually she managed to calm them down a little. She was very sad and worried too but she couldn't help feel relived for the interruption. If Joe and Jess had managed to finish their sentence she wasn't sure she still would have had a little sister. In all probability Jess' parents would have thrown her out of the house. They would have thrown Joe out first and then tried to get Jess to renegade him, which she wouldn't have, so she would have been out of the door and screamed at and cried upon for all the shame she had brought on the family. Dating a _goreh_ boy behind her parents back…that was never going to go down well! Oh God, what had her sister gotten herself into? Why couldn't she just pick an Indian boy, there were so many good looking one and they weren't as useless as they used to be. She decided she was going to try and change her sister's mind as soon as she had a chance. That decided, her thoughts went back to Tony's mum and she started praying for her.

Mohaan Bhamra's thoughts were all jumbled up. He was in tears for his sister-in-law heart attack. She had always been very close to the Bhamra's and she was more like a real sister. Her son, Tony, was such a sweet boy, and Jess' best friend since forever. His thoughts went to the two of them and he wished he could hug them now. But they weren't there with him. They were in Joe's car. Joe, a _goreh_ , had been standing in front of the Bhamras just minutes ago and he had been holding Jess' hand. They had something to tell them, they had said. He knew/dreaded what it was. He had seen their kiss at the airport over 4 months ago. He hadn't said anything then. He secretly hoped that the distance and the time apart would eliminate the problem. Yes, he had invited Joe over for dinner that night, but only because he was Jess' coach. Yes, he had seen him several times since and he had to admit to himself that he had gotten quite fond of this _goreh_ man, they had had plenty of good conversations and cricket matches. He was very well mannered and polite, Mrs Bhamra really enjoyed having him over for dinner too. _He is pretty brave too_ , Mohaan had to admit to himself, _he came to face me twice in order to make Jess' football dreams come true. That couldn't have been easy._ Furthermore, it was somehow all of Joe's doing if Jess was now thousands of miles away for at least 3 years. He had to admit that Joe really seemed to have his daughter's best interest at heart… _But he is white! Sukhi is never going to accept him, nor is the community_. He would bring so much shame on them.  
He had no idea what he would have done if Joe and Jess had gotten through with their announcement. He loved his daughter dearly and he liked Joe but could he really give them his blessing? He had no answer to that question. _I need to keep this from Sukhi for now, she can't know_. He vowed to himself. His thoughts returned to Tony's mum. _Let her live, please Babaji, please_. He silently pleaded while hugging his wife.

**Joe's car**

Tony was a mess, Jess was holding him tight and whispering a continuous stream of encouraging and loving words in his hears. Eventually he stopped crying and just clung to her. Joe was a mess too, he wasn't showing it because he had a mission: to hold it together for Jess so that she could help Tony through this. He had come to be good friend with Tony, chatting often about football and Jess. He had been a god send with all his tips on Indian culture and had really helped him make a good impression on Jess' parents. He was really upset about Tony's mother but he was also barely holding it together after the emotional high of (almost) telling Jess' parents about them. His heart had been in his throat and didn't seem to have dislodged from there. Now he was also grieved about Tony's situation. _What a mess, what a mess_. If Tony's mother died his newly found friend would be a mess. And Jess and Joe could most definitely not approach her parents on a time like that, which meant they were gonna have to lie, and lie, and lie. He hated that prospect but he knew he was never going to be able to stay away from Jess… He focused on driving to the airport as quickly as possible and hoped and prayed for Tony's mother.


	5. Nighttime dream and memories

Jess woke up in her bed. She was hot and wet. She had been dreaming about Joe. Even though she didn't allow herself to have those kind of thoughts while awake her subconscious clearly had a mind of its own. In the dream they were together in a bedroom. _Joe's?_ She wondered. They were talking but then all the sudden Joe's hand were all over her. He had already unbuttoned her shirt and was now tenderly kissing her boobs, going around the bra's edge. He was holding her against the wall and gently pushing his body against hers. She could feel his excitement already and that was turning her on even more. His hands were moving slowing on her back, inching towards her bra's clip, ever so slowly, while his mouth kept torturing her. She sighed heavily and Joe loved that sound. He was loving the effect he was having on her, he was loving touching her, turning her on, driving her over the edge with the gentlest of touches. He slowly let his hand slide in Jess' pants, touching her pubic her and moving past it. She was very wet and that made him harder. Jess' hand was rubbing him over his trousers, teasing him, not giving him all that he wanted. She undid his belt and trouser's button and pushed his trousers and underwear down on the ground, where his shirt had ended up minutes earlier. She didn't touch him right away. She moved her hands behind him, grasping his hot as, squeezing it and pushing him towards her, slowly moving her body. His hand was still at work and, God, he knew what he was doing! She moved her hand slowing to his member and tightly held it while moving up and down. He was so hard. It was such a turn on. Soon Joe couldn't take it anymore and moved her hand away. He picked her up and pushed her on the bed, falling on her right away. He resumed passionately kissing her and his hands finished getting all of her clothes off…

 _Oh God Jessminder stop thinking about it now_. She turned and tossed in the bed trying not to think about Joe's hands on her body. _It was just a dream_. Of what it would feel to have his hands on her. Needless to say it took her a very long time to fall asleep again. Her mind started wandering towards the events of the day. She couldn't believe she had almost talked to her parents about Joe. She had almost professed her love for Joe when Tony interrupted.

 _Poor Tony_ , she was immediately saddened by the memory. He was a total mess. His mum had died at the hospital a few hours after they had gotten there. Jess had been by Tony's side all afternoon, helping him during the endless stream of relatives and friends who had come to pay their respects and visit the woman in a coma. Tony was currently asleep in the guest bedroom. They had insisted he stayed with them that night, instead of going back to the now empty house that he shared with his mum. Jess thought about the many approving looks the Indian visitors had given her, sitting next to Tony, supporting him. While she was in the States Tony had told her that even if they had been engaged for a whole of 30 seconds the news still spread in the community. Most believed the engagement got called off because of Jessminder's university dreams and assumed that it was simply postponed to after her graduation. What a shock it was going to be to find out she was with a _goreh_ instead. She wondered when that was going to be. With Tony's mum's having just died she couldn't speak to her parents about Joe now. She was going to be needed to support them and help Tony through it. Furthermore the whole Punjabi community was going to get together, as they always do for these events. She knew Joe wasn't going to be welcome, he was an outsider, a _goreh_ , and to everyone else but Jess he was only her football coach, what place was he going to have to a private family event?

She thought about how he hang around at he hospital. He was hanging back, not wanting to intrude and feeling out of place. Jess had wanted to be held by Joe, to be kissed on the forehead and to hear him say "It'll be okay, my love, it will be okay, I'm here for you." They exchanged several looks and she knew that Joe wanted to do exactly that. He knew he couldn't though and Pinkie made sure he was always too busy getting everyone tea and running some other errands to be tempted. Eventually he was headed back home and Jess and him managed to sneak a moment together. She pretended she left something in his car on their way to the hospital. As soon as they were out of sight of her family he enveloped her in a tight hug. She had needed it so badly and she let herself relax in his arms. She started crying and all the tears that she had been holding back for Tony's sake came out. Joe was heartbroken to see his love that sad and did all he could in that situation to make her feel better: held her tight against him and hid his face in her hair. After a few minutes Jess regained control and looked up to his face. "I love you, thank you for having been here for me" "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world". He answered back, looking at her with all of his love reflected in his eyes. She got on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly. "You better go back before someone notices how long it's taking you" he said, without loosening his grip around her. "I should" She agreed, firmly holding her arms around him. Neither wanted to let go of the other. "I guess I won't be able to see much of you for a while" Joe assumed, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice. "I am sorry Joe, I need to be with my family now, to be there for them, for Tony" She said gently. " I know, and I love you for it. I will miss you terribly thought" "So will I" heartfelt. "Listen I haven't had a chance to tell you yet but I am going to see my folks in Ireland for Christmas. My dad invited me the other day. I'm thinking of leaving on the 22nd and coming back on the 27th. I hope to see you before I go?" "Joe that's great news! I am so glad you and your dad are working things out!" She said, really glad that it was happening. "Yes so am I" he smiled at her, "thanks to you" he reminded her. "Not at all, I only encouraged you but you made the first step. I am so proud of you!" She smiled back at him and gently kissed him once more. "I better go now, I'll call you later" and after one last kiss they parted.


	6. Author's note

Hello all,

I have decided I am just going to publish all that I have left of the story as I don't want to continue writing it. There are few chapters finished but after that it's just notes of how I would have continued the story.


	7. Apart ?

6 APART?

The house was still full of people. The whole community came together for Tony's mother's funeral, which happened three days after she died. After the service everyone, or so it seemed to Jess, headed for the Bhamra's house. She had been helping her mother out for hours, serving food and hot drinks to all their guests. Last time they had so many people there had been for Pinkie's engagement party and the atmosphere couldn't have been more different. Everyone seemed deeply touched by the old lady departure. Having had only one son, and with her husband gone prematurely, she had been a sister or an aunty for most of the people in the house. Most of them were barely holding the tears back.

Her sister grabbed her arm. "Oi Jess, see that good-looking fella in the corner? He is Tony's cousin from his dad's side, Hema. Why don't you go see if he needs anything?". Jess glared at her before moving towards the corner where Hema was standing. For days her sister had been pushing her towards any single 20 something year old guy in their extended family. You didn't have to be a genius to know what her sister was thinking. She clearly didn't approve of Joe, and was doing all that she could to break them up. She was going to have to talk to her in private, if not to change her mind at least to make sure she wasn't going to spill the beans with their parents. Jess still wanted to come clean but she knew that that wasn't the time, her family had never needed her more, she couldn't do that to her parents and Tony. Joe had come around the house earlier, to pay his respect to the Bhamra and Tony but he hadn't stayed long. He was the only white person and was feeling out of place, especially because everyone kept staring at him as most of the people there hadn't met him before. Jess and Joe had quickly hugged goodbye and he had whispered "I'll see you tonight love" but that had been their whole interaction.

"Hi Hema, would you like anything hot to drink?" She asked Tony's cousin. "Hi, no thank you I am okay". Jess smiled and started moving away when he spoke again: "How do you know my name?" "Oh, well, you are Tony's cousin right? I am Jess, his best friend?" "Oh yes sure, I've heard about you. I thought you too were engaged?" _Here we go again_ , Jess explained once more that no, they weren't engage and then she excused herself. She wanted a break from all of this grieving, from her sister pushing her to every boy in the house and from the older generation asking her how her future fiancé was. She retreated to her room and her mind started wondering about her past few days, or better, nights.

— Flashback —

It was the night Tony's mum died. Everyone was asleep by 10 PM, wiped out by the day's events, but Jess couldn't sleep. She started texting Joe, she missed him and she wanted to let him know how she was doing. He had been concerned and their text conversation had been going on for over an hour when he texted Can I come see u? I want to hold u in my arms and make u feel better.  
That is all that Jess wanted in that moment. How though? She asked him.  
Can u sneak out? U said every1 s asleep  
 _I guess I could_ she thought to herself. After all Pinkie had been doing it for years to go see Teetu… Okay, when will you be here?  
20 min?

Okay

:)

I'll see u soon  
Can't wait and she really couldn't. It had been a crazy day and all she wanted was to share it with him. Being home felt almost as if they were further apart. At least while she was in the States she could text, call and email him all the time. They had kept a continuous channel of communication and they had gotten used to that. Now she couldn't disappear for hours to talk to Joe and her parents didn't want her texting away all the time.

I'm here, I've parked around the corner Joe texted less than 20 minutes later.

Coming Jess replied. She had gotten changed and had been waiting sitting on her bed. She quietly opened her bedroom door, careful as not to make a sound. Being in the attic had it's advantages! She carefully sneaked downstairs and slipped through the front door without making a noise. She quickly turned around the corner and got in Joe's parked car. As soon as she was in he hugged her tight. He held her against him for minutes, savouring the feeling. It had only been hours since they had seen each others but it felt like an eternity. So much had happened and he had only wanted to be there for Jess. Eventually he deposited a soft kiss on her forehead and looked down on her brown eyes. "I love you" he whispered to her. "I love you too" She smiled back.  
They stayed in that car for hours, Jess had so much to tell him and he was so good at comforting her. The conversation was centred on the days events at first but then it moved to Jess' life in the States and Joe's Harriers' coaching and pub work. It was the first time they could be with each other, Jess had only landed less than 12 hours ago, and they had so much they had wanted to tell each other and catch up on the months they spent apart. Eventually Joe couldn't help but yawn. It was a massive one and Jess couldn't stop a snigger. "Yeah you laugh, you are still on USA timezone and it's late afternoon for you, but it's 4AM here my love, I am wiped!" "Oh my god is it really that late? I need to get back, my dad wakes up at 4:45AM for work!" Jess said with a hint of panic in her voice. "Oh shit, you better go, your dad would kill me if he didn't find you at home!".

They kissed goodbye for a few minutes and then she left. "I'll text you tomorrow" she said thought the open window. "Today you mean" he joked back. She stuck out her tongue and leaned in for another kiss. "Love you" "Love you too".

Needless to say, Jess looked like an absolute zombie all day since her family woke her up at 7AM to help with the funeral arrangements. At least she could blame it to the jet lag and the shock of loosing Tony's mum..

—End of flashback —

Since that first night back that had been their nighttime routine. Everyone would go to bed at 10:00 PM and at 10:45 PM Jess would sneak out to get into Joe's car. They really treasured that time together. Jess was always so busy during the day, having so much to organise and Tony to take care of, and so was Joe. Even though he was now the coach of a pro team and his salary was pretty good, he kept working at the bar, at least until they'd find someone else to run it. The festive season was quite busy at the bar and he was trying to log more hours before going away 6 days to Ireland. He always looked like shit though and since he fell asleep on the counter two days earlier all the patrons started teasing him and questioning on his nighttime activities. Joe was always evading those questions but a blush would always come out and everyone was on his case about this mysterious girl that wasn't letting him get a single night sleep.

That night Jess' family had gone to bed later, since it took a long time for all the relative and friends to leave after the wake. Joe could only pick Jess up closer to midnight and he was going to leave for Ireland the following day.

"Jess would you like to come to my house? We have been seeing each other in my car for three nights already and although I am glad for it it would be nice to be a bit more comfortable tonight since I am going to be in this car for hours tomorrow, driving to Ireland." He asked when she got in.  
"Okay Joe" she answered hesitantly.  
She was a little worried the situation was going to get out of hand at his house. The previous nights they always ended up making out quite heavily, but the location always put an end to the situation. Even though she was still a virgin she knew Joe was, with all probability, not. He had never pushed her but she wondered whether going to his house, in the middle of the night, was very wise.  
As if reading her mind Joe said: "Jess, love, I really only just want to cuddle you comfortably on the couch, you know I love you and will always respect your wishes" He smiled at her lovingly and she was immediately calm. "You better put an alarm on though, it's already midnight and I wouldn't want to be cutting it to close to 4:45AM and be busted by your dad!" "Haha, okay, I'll put an alarm on. Anyhow I am sure you'll be asleep before that" She laughed at him. "Oh no, my dear, you have a way of keeping me awake I can guarantee you" he said with a wink, at which she blushed lightly. Even if sex was out of options the rest wasn't and she thought that it was going to get pretty interesting that night.

During the car drive Joe told her about his plans for Ireland. He was really exited to go see his family after so many years. They talked about them and Joe run her through his immediate family. His parents were traditional catholics and Joe had 4 sibling, all born about one year apart. His brother Connor was one year younger than him and so 20 years old, Siobhan was 19, Keela 18 and Brendan had just turned 17. "Hopefully next time I go you'll be able to come with me" he really hoped that. "I would love to, I have never been to Ireland and everyone always says it's an absolute stunner!" With that Joe launched on a detail description of the beauties and wonders of Ireland that continued the whole car ride to his house.


	8. Joe's house

7 JOE'S HOUSE

"Here we are" Joe announced pulling up in front of his house. He lived 15 minutes away from the football pitch, in a second floor apartment. He opened the main door and invited her in, a little nervous of having her there. He had never had a girl in his place, it was his private space and only his closest mates had been there.

The flat wasn't big but it was a good size for a single person. The living room was immediately on the right, the opened kitchen facing it and located on the left, just past a little storage room. Past the two rooms on the left there was the bathroom, with shower and bathtub and his bedroom was on the right. They left their shoes and jackets in the hallway and he gave her a tour of his place. She could tell he was a bit nervous about showing her his life and found that very sweet. Jess liked the place right away. Even thought it was clear that no woman lived there it was kept very neatly and it was well decorated. The colours were very warm and inviting and she felt at home as soon as she sat down on the comfy couch. "The best feature of this house is the chimney, I love having a real fire in winter, I grew up with a fireplace and I don't think I could ever give it up" He smiled pointing at it. "Wow that is very nice! Can we lit a fire now?" "Sure, just give me a few minute". He proceeded to covering Jess with a warm blanket and telling her to relax while he lit the fire. She watched him crouch down and expertly start a fire in a few minutes. He then came back to the couch and scooping her up, sat down with Jess on his lap.

"So what do you think?" He asked, a worried streak coming out in his tone. "I love it Joe" Jess said immediately " I already feel at home here!" A broad smile lightened his face right away and he leaned in to kiss her.

And so it started.

They were kissing on the couch for a while, tenderly at first and a bit more passionately soon after. Joe's hands started wandering on Jess' body. He couldn't resist it. He wanted her very badly and even though he knew she wasn't ready for it that didn't mean he could show it to her and at least kiss every inch of her delicate dark skin. He slid his right hand under her top and started moving up and down her back. Jess was lost in the embrace. She trusted Joe entirely and she knew he was never going to push her for anything more than she was ready to give. That knowledge allowed her to enjoy the moment with him without being afraid. She loved the feel of his hands on her body and while he was working his way under her clothes she started unbuttoning his shirt and sliding her hands on his chest. Wish a swift movement he pulled her up and sat her on his crouch. His hands were still on her back and started unclipping her bra. Her long black hair was loose and falling down on him, covering his shoulders, going around their faces. She was kissing him and she gradually pushed his shirt down from his shoulders. He wanted to go slow but couldn't control his desire. He quickly pushed her shirt over her head and her bra followed right away.

He stared at her breast and Jess got a little embarrassed about it. But then he looked her in the eyes and she saw his passion and desire for her and leaned him to kiss him passionately. His hands cupped her breasts and starting gently playing with them. Jess had never gotten that intimate with anyone and they were all new sensations. She liked what he was doing. It felt so good. The fire was warm on her back and he was gently stroking her nipples, making her shiver with desire. Joe's right hand moved in her hair and firmly, but gently, pulled them back. He wanted to uncover her neck as that was his next target. He started kissing and softly biting her exposed neck while his left hand was still lingering on her boob.

Jess had forgotten she even had hands. She had been so taken by what Joe was doing that she had stopped moving. _Better show him you how much you like him too_ she though. She moved her left hand in his hair and moved her right to his waist line. She had a hard time at opening his pants both because of the position they were sitting (Jess was on top of him) and because of Joe's lips and hands on her. Once she was finally successful she was about to touch him when he pulled back and looked straight in her eyes: "Jess, you know I love you and you can very well see how much I want you. I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to or feel uncomfortable doing. I want you to promise me that you will stop me whenever you want to stop!" She stared at him. "I am serious", he added, "I wouldn't forgive myself if you were ever to regret any of this". He really meant it and she was touched by it. "I promise I will stop you when I want to stop" She swore to him and he smiled at her. "But Joe?" "Yeah" "I don't want you to stop now…" she said, giving him all the encouragement he needed to launch at her again. He wished she never wanted to stop him. He wanted her. But he knew they weren't going to make love that night. _I can still make her come though_ he thought. He picked her up and put her down on the couch on her back, he kicked his trousers off and laid on top of her. His erection was very visible and Jess was a little taken aback, she had no idea she could have such an effect on him. Sensing her insecurity he took her hand and whispered "I can show you what I like, if you want me to?" She nodded her head, still hesitant. "Let me show you what you like first" he mumbled on her lips before kissing her deeply and pulling her pants and underpants off. He kept his underwear on. He wanted her to feel comfortable and to relax entirely to his touch. He resumed kissing her, he was holding himself up with his right arm and he slid his left arm down her body. He played with her nipples more, pinching them gently and grasping her whole boob. Jess' body was all a quiver, her reaction to his touch was amazing and it was getting him so hard, he didn't even need her to touch him. He started moving his left hand down on her body, past her stomach and navel, past her pubic her all the way to her wet pussy. Jess was wet already. Nobody had ever done to her what Joe was doing and she had no control over any of it. He started playing with her clit and her sigh sent a shiver down Joe's body. He had no idea how he was ever going to stop. He kept touching her and moving his finger over her clit. She started arching her back, pushing her boobs against his chest. She moved her hands on him, she had never done anything like that to a guy but had heard Pinkie and her girlfriends talk about it. She reached his boxer's elastic and slid her right hand in, grabbing his penis. Joe's whole body stiffened the moment she touched him and he was out of his mind when she started tentatively moving her hands up and down his dick. "Mm Mmm" he muttered in Jess' ear. He wanted her to know he was liking it, to encourage her, but couldn't articulate any word. He slowly inserted a finger in her, without going too deep as to preserve her integrity. The bolt of feeling that Jess felt caused her to tighten her grip on Joe. He was going to go mad soon. He moved his hands away and whispered out of breath: "Jess", "Jess". "Let me go Jess, I need a moment to calm down and regain control". At that she released him, worried she had pushed him too far. He was laying, slightly lifted, on top of her, staring at her face, breathing heavily. His breathing was matched by hers. "Am I doing something wrong?" She asked worried. "Not at all! I love what you are doing to me, I was just afraid I wasn't going to control myself if we continued. Did I go too far for you?" It was his turn to be worried now. She smiled at him "No" and then she added: "whatever it was you were doing, it felt amazing!" "Oh did it now, I hadn't noticed you liked it" he teaser her. She blushed at that and he couldn't resist but kiss his adorable girlfriend. "Let me do to you something else you will like" he said provocatively. He started kissing his way down her body. When he reached her breasts he kissed and licked them till they turned hard and she started moaning. Satisfied with that result he moved his mouth further down. He kissed her on her clit and the feeling shot all the way through Jess' body. He started licking her pussy and it felt so good. She was already getting very close to it, he could tell. He continued like that for a bit longer and then positioned his hand in between her legs and slid a finger through again. Once he started moving it Jess couldn't take it anymore and she came, her body arching and moaning, calling Joe's name. It was amazing, Joe loved to see his effect on her and immediately got very hard. He crawled back up her body and enveloped her in his arms. She was still overwhelmed by the feeling. She had never orgasmed before and it was mind-blowing. After a few minutes she recovered enough to look up at Joe and kiss him tenderly. "That was amazing" she said. "You are amazing" he replied, moving his left hand up and down her bare back. "So I guess it's your turn now" she stared at him. _Oh yes please Jess_ he though, but what he said was "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do my love, I am okay". She hesitated one second, "I want to but…I don't really know what to do?". She slid her hand back in his underpants and she looked at him for help. She was surprised to find him still hard. "Just move your hand up and down like you were" and she started doing that. "Mmm that's good. You can go all the way to the top and the bottom and then go a bit faster in a little bit" he suggested nuzzling his lips on her neck, starting kissing her gently. She was doing a great job and he was already very hard from the previous moment they shared, it was going to be easy for her to make him come. "Do you want me to stop you before I come?" He asked her. "No" she said, "I want to see your face when I make you come". She kissed him lasciviously. She might have been a virgin but she knew the effect she was having on Joe and she loved making him so exited. She pulled his boxers off completely and continued moving her hand on him. At times his hand would join hers and help with the pace or the movement. They were kissing hard and he moved his hand back on her sex too. That was distracting Jess and she pushed him away. He tried again and again she moved her hands away. "Just enjoy it" she whispered to him. He was already so hard. He moaned on her mouth at those words and turned his brain off. He was only feeling her hand on him. Touching his dick, moving up and down and feeling so good. He got her to move her hand faster and soon after moaned her name and came all over them. Like he had done to her, she hugged him tight and gave him a few minutes to recover.

"Oh Jess that was amazing" he kissed her. She smiled happily. "What you did to me was amazing" she replied. "Oh that was just the beginning, I am going to make you come and come and come till you die" he murmured on her lips, his passion for her only increased by the hours they had just spent making each other come. He was set on getting down on her again when the alarm rang. _What the?_ He wondered "It's my alarm" Jess said. "It's 3:30AM" "Oh" Joe muttered disappointed. Time had gone a lot faster than he thought. "We better clean up then, you have to be home in 45 minutes max…" Reticence was clear in his voice, he wasn't at all happy with having to give up on his plans for her.  
He sent her to shower first. He couldn't have handled a shower together without delaying their departure further. While she showered he got her clothes organised on his bed for her and cleaned up the couch. As soon as she was out he jumped in the shower and quickly cleaned up. They said a tender goodbye in his car, parked around the corner. They weren't going to see each other for 6 days while Joe was in Ireland. He surprised her with a little gift. It was a silver bracelet, which looked like the one she already had, but this one was engraved. "It says _You stole my heart. J._ I hope you like it? I know it looks just like yours but I wanted to get you something you could wear all the time and not have to hide from your parents" he explained. Jess understood what he meant right away, they were never going to notice what was engraved in the inside of the bracelet but she would know. "It's lovely Joe, and a very clever way of letting me wear it all the time! I love it and I love you" She leaned in for a kiss and a last hug. "I'll see you in 6 days, I hope you have a great time in Ireland and say hi to your family from me". "I will, I will miss you, I'll call you everyday". "Goodnight" "Goodnight" and with that Jess was safely in her bed before her dad woke up half an hour later.


	9. Ireland

8 IRELAND

Joe was knackered. After having dropped Jess home at 4:15 AM he had gone home, had a light breakfast and headed off. It was a 5 hours drive to get to Fishguard in Wales and he had to be there 2 hours before the ferry departure time, at 13:00 PM. From Fishguard it was only 3 and a half hours to cross the St George's channel and he slept the whole time being exhausted by the sleepless night. From Rosslare it was a 3 hours drive to Kinsale, 30 min south of Cork and by the time he got to his parents house it was 6:00 PM and he was barely awake anymore. The closer he got to the house the more he started getting nervous. Even though he had been talking with his dad for the past 6 months and things had been going well they had parted on such a bad note that he was afraid of how the reunion was going to go. He remember clearly yelling at his "You are such a BASTARD, I hope to never see you again" and slamming the house door shut. His whole family had been present at the moment of the fight, over 4 years ago. He had only been 17 then and had been making it on his own since. He had had some rough years but the Hounslow Harriers girls team had been a game changer for him, it had given him back purpose and a direction in life. His dad had already pronounced himself proud of what his son had been doing, of how he didn't give up on football and how he was helping girls make their dream come true.  
He was still thinking about all of this when the front door opened and his mum came running out: "Joseph" she screamed, overwhelmed with emotions. She enveloped him in a tight hug and started sobbing on his chest. "Mum" he cracked too. His brothers and sisters were all around them and started hugging them too. Emotions were running very high. Then his dad came out of the house: "Son" he said. Patrick was worried that Joe hadn't fully forgiven him. He had been a terrible father to his firstborn. He had pushed him too hard and had broken him. It had taken Patrick years to make peace with it and he wasn't sure Joe had yet. Joe looked at him straight in the eyes. He could see Patrick's thoughts and fears in his eyes and to see his father soo troubled after so many years was all that it took to finally make it okay for Joe. "I forgive you" he told him. At that Patrick started crying and went to hug his son too. The two man hugged tight and then Patrick led him in the house, with an arm on his shoulder, overjoyed that his eldest son was back.

Homecoming had truly been amazing. The whole family couldn't stop talking and laughing and catching up on everything that had happened in the 4 years that Joe had been away. Gael, Joe's mum, had cooked a massive welcome home feast and they were now all in the living room, sitting in front of the fire. Joe couldn't believe how much he had missed out on. His siblings were so grown up and so much had happened. He wished he had been there for them, he was their older brother after all, and he felt as if he had let them down. He kept asking them all sorts of questions about their lives and was contempt with sitting back and listening to their replies. He knew that soon was going to be his turn but he was too tired to get into it now. Eventually Joe fell asleep on the couch while the others were still talking. They had all noticed how wiped out he was and that he had massive sleep bags under his eyes. They all wanted to know what was going on but they waited for Joe to tell them. In the mean time they related everything that had happened back home during his absence. When they noticed he was falling asleep Connor helped him to the room they were sharing, half carrying him. Joe was more asleep than awake while he quickly stripped down to his boxers and collapsed on the bed. Connor covered him with the blanked and in so doing noticed the hickeys on his neck. He smiled at that and couldn't wait for his brother to wake up to find out who was behind them.

When Connor made his way downstairs his parents had also gone to bed and the rest of the siblings quizzed him on his smirk. "Well let's just say that I am not sure how much sleep our dear Joe is getting back home. Judging by the number of hickeys on his neck I think he his spending most of his nights quire preoccupied haha". At that they started speculating on who this mysterious girl might be. They knew, from their dad, that it was a girl that had convinced Joe to reach out to Patrick, but that Joe hadn't talked about her yet. They were definitely going to find out tomorrow!

The next morning Joe was woken up by his four siblings. They all got on his bed and started tickling him. "Hahaha oh my god stop it you four, stop it. I am your big brother, you gotta do as I say" he tried, unconvincingly, to stop them. "Oh my God Connor you were right, look at his neck" Keela chuckled. "Joe is in love Joe is in love" Brendan started singing and teasing him. "What are you all talking about" he muttered. "Have you not seen it brother?" Connor asked, trying to keep a straight face. "Seen what?" Joe asked. "Go check yourself out in the bathroom big brother" Siob encouraged him. Joe slowly got up, unsure of what to expect, and still very very tired "Did you guys have to wake me up at the crack of down?" He asked. At that all his siblings started laughing. "Joe, it's noon! Mum sent us up here to make sure you were still awake and to get you down for lunch. You have been sleeping 14 hours straight!" Said Keela. "We understand you must have been very tired though, judging by your conditions" Connor teased him. "Let's go find out what are you guys talking about…"Joe muttered and he went to see his reflection in the mirror.

His eyes immediately noticed the many love bites he had, several on his neck but some also further down his body. He went crimson, then red, then scarlet. That was so embarrassing. He hadn't noticed it before, it must have been last night, when he and Jess had gotten very intimate… He wondered how many he had left on her body, and where!?  
He looked like he was going to combust and his brothers couldn't wait anymore, "so who is it?" "what's her name?" "do you have a photo?" "can we meet her" "how long have you been together?" "do you love her?" Joe was under attack and knew that there was no way he was going to get out of this without giving them some answers. "Let me put some clothes on first" he said. "Oh why, mum and dad would surely love the show" Siob laughed at him and she glared at her. "You guys can't tell them about this!" He said moving his hand up and down his body. "You know what they are like, traditional and all" "Don't worry big bro we won't talk" Connor said "as long as you answer all of our questions!" _Oh good, I am being blackmailed now_ Joe sniggered. He let out a big theatrical sigh and sat down on his bed, with a t-shirt on. "Let's get started then!"  
"What's her name?" "Jess"  
"Who is she?" "She is a footballer. I used to be her coach but I am not anymore"  
"Woah isn't that like, illegal?" Brendan asked. "Well it would have been if I had still been her coach but I haven't been her coach since last summer and we only got together after that" he explained

"Who is her coach now? Or does she not play anymore?" "No she plays and she is amazing. She got a full scholarship to play university soccer in the States and go to uni there. She is going to be living in California for the next three years" he explained.

"Oh wow so you guys are doing the whole long-distance thing?" Siob enquired. "Yes we are. It's not easy but I love her and she loves me and we are making it work".  
"Do you have a photo of her?" Keela's turn. "Yes, of course, let me get it". He got his wallet and took out a photo of Jess and him they took one night in his car.  
"Wow she is beautiful!" They all said, "is she Indian?" "Yes exactly"  
"I didn't think Indian girls could go out with white guys?" Siob, always so on point. "Well, we are still working on that…" Joe didn't really know what to say. They were gonna tell her parents but now they couldn't and ended up having to be a secret. It sucked.  
"What do you mean?" Siob wasn't gonna give up "are you guys a secret or something?" All the 4 Irish in the room were waiting for Joe's answer and he could tell: "we are not a secret secret, I mean, you guys know, and I'll tell mum and dad. Some of her and my friends know too. I guess we are just a secret to her family for now?" He hoped that was going to be enough to get them to leave it alone. All the opposite, it only got them more interested!  
"How the hell did you guys manage that" Brendan said pointing vaguely at his neck and chest, "if you can't ask her out?"  
"I think I can answer that for you Brendan" said Connor, "I am sure you have all noticed how sleep deprived our dear brother looks" he teased " I bet that they sneak around at night while her parents are asleep!" And with that he turned to Joe waiting for a confirmation. He didn't know what to say. He was their older brother and wanted to set the example. They hadn't seen each other for 4 years and didn't want to give them the wrong impression, that he was sneaking around and sleeping with Jess behind her parents' back. He didn't want them to get the wrong impression about them. "Listen, it's not as easy as that. We were gonna tell her parents the day she got back from Cali, we really were, but then her best friend's mother, who is more like a sister to her parents, died and we couldn't face them anymore. We didn't have another choice!" His tone was a little desperate and hurt and his brothers and sisters realised they had been pushing him too hard. "Oh bro, it's okay, I am sorry we brought the Spanish Inquisition on to you. Clearly you really love this girl and she sounds special. We would love to meet her one day!" At her words Joe relaxed and smiled at all of them, "she is special, I can't wait to introduce her to you all" and with that they kept talking all 5 together, crammed on his bed till their mom come up to get them down for lunch. She walked in the room to find all her five children squished together talking and chatting and the scene warmed her heart. Whoever it was this mysterious girl that got her Joseph back to them, she sent them a heartfelt thank you and wished to meet her soon.


	10. Christmas

9 CHRISTMAS IN LONDON

Jess study catch up. Meet Jules. Talk about what had happened. Jules mentions contraception. I don't know if I am ready for that yet. Tony quizzes her on Joe too. Tony insists they can't keep it a secret. Jess faces her sister about Joe. Pinkie understands a bit. She still isn't convinced but she will lay off them and keep their secret.

10 CHRISTMAS IN IRELAND

Joe's homecoming had been majestic. It seemed that the whole of Kinsale knew he was back home and they all dropped in into the O'Brien's house to catch a sight of him. After having slept a good 14 hours Joe was feeling better, luckily, as he was going to need all of his energy to get him through the O'Brien's Christmas traditions. On Christmas Eve, after the lunch at home, they all went out to show Joe around town. Not much had changed and he felt good to be back at home. Every few steps they were stopped by someone that wanted to say hi to Joe and welcome him back home. After another big meal at dinner they played some traditional games at home before going for the midnight Mass. Getting out of the church was another long affair for Joe. He didn't even know he knew that many people in Kinsale! The guys he was most exited to see were Sean and James, his two best friends all through high school and football practice. They hadn't really kept in touch when he left his family on such a bad note but were still friends and they jumped on him as soon as they saw him.  
"Joe you old bastard. You finally made it back here" James said, punching him in the stomach

"Ouf! Hello to you too Jam-boy" Joe used his friend's old hideous and hated nickname.  
"Good to see you still remember that, Jock-ass" Sean retorted, giving him a bear hug that left him breathless.

"So the rumours are true! Joe O'Brien has returned!" James announced theatrically.  
"As you can see for yourself dumbass"  
"What about the other rumour, that Joe O'Brien lost his head for an English chick?" Enquired Sean, placing a hand on his heart, feigning indignation.  
"That would be true too my friend" Joe admitted.

"Don't worry mate, we'll set you straight! Are you coming to the pub tomorrow night?"  
"For sure mate, I better go now though, my family is waiting"  
"Oh and you are such the good son ain't ya?" James always had a smart remark to say.  
"The best" Joe laughed and waved goodbye. It was going to be fun, crazy but fun, to catch up with everyone on the 26th.

On Christmas Day every O'Brien would go to Nana and Pop's house for lunch

…big family… all ask about him… Jess…there is a lot of Gaelic spoken. It is clear that Joe is really serious about his girl, serious enough to not shrug off the Jess O'Brien joke.

Thank god catch up on sleep a little. He needed it.

On his last day went to pub O'Driscol. Every old mate is there. They get him drunk as a skunk on Guinness. Singing and dancing. They get him to spill the whole story about Jess. He is so drunk and declares himself so in love, everyone knows his feelings are real. But he is hopeless coz her family won't ever accept him coz he isn't Indian. At that the lads in the pub decide to fix the situation and cover him in makeup and do his air black.

He gets home at like 5 am. His sis goes in to wake him for lunch and sees the hairs and remember the previous night. Wakes him up and is laughing so hard. "What now? Is it possible that every time you wake me up you look at me and laugh? I am sure I am not covered in hickey again!" He found out about his hair but doesn't remember. She tells him. They go for lunch. The whole family stares and sniggers but doesn't say anything until he explodes and tell them all what had happened. They all laugh about it. His mum later talks to him and tries to reassure him that Jess' parents will have to love him.

Ferry 18 pm 21:30 Wales, past midnight home. Straight old habit and goes to see Jess. She is shocked by his hair and he has to explain what happened. She laughs to tears. Then she cuddles him, "You must be really worried about this if you said it to everyone in a pub when you were super drunk." "I am. I don't see how your family will ever accept me." "they will, and even if they don't I will Never leave you" Kissing in car but no more.


	11. Everything else - the end

LAST WEEK TOGETHER

New Years  
Jess is meant to spend it with Jules and other girls from the team. Joe with his mates. He can't resist and goes to find her. They kiss at midnight. Team captain and Mackie see them but say they won't say a word. Joe and Jess go to his place. Jess meets Jules at the park as they are gonna pretend they were having a workout together for her parents sake.

Jules has the idea of them practicing with the Harriers. Joe and Jess come clean with them. They all congratulate them. "But Jess didn't you say you couldn't date a white guy" truth about her parents not knowing comes out.

There is some extra practice time needed for the team which is actually only Jess and Joe making out in his car.

All at the airport. They have already said their goodbyes but they cant resist a last kiss. Pinkie manages to distract her mum but everyone else sees them, her dad and the Paxtons. Jules need to explain over the phone.

SPRING BREAK

Jess picks him up. Kisses. Talk in the car for hours to get to college.

"Joe" Jules shouted. "Hey Jules" Joe said hugging her.

"How was your flight?" "All good thank, it was long but I slept most of the way here" "glad to hear that, let's get you comfortable!" Jess and Jules shared the University dorm room. It was a single room with Jess' bed on the left and Jules' on the right. The girls desks were opposite the door, under the big window facing the campus' gardens. Their luxury was an ensuite bathroom.

"Well this is all" Jess concluded the 'tour' sitting down on her bed. "We got an air mattress for you" she pointed at it still rolled up on the side. She looked apologetically at him. "You know that's fine Jess, we'll only be here two nights before we are off exploring Californian beaches and Yosemite anyhow" at his word she smiled at him, happy he didn't care that she couldn't afford a private room for the two of them.

Jess had gotten a little waitressing job without telling Joe, she wanted to surprise him with her savings. Joe had planned on paying for everything for the two of them during the 10 days he was going to spend in the States but Jess wanted to chip in!

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Joe asked to the two girls, sitting down next to Jess.

"Oh it's going to be great, the whole team wants to meet you and all of our friends can't wait to meet the English bloke that calls Jess every day!" Jules was almost even more exited to go out with Joe tonight than Jess. Actually, she definitely was. Not that Jess didn't want to introduce him to her friends, she had just hoped to spend the first night alone with Joe. They hadn't seen each other for over 4 months and they missed each other like crazy.

Jules kept taking about the night ahead of them, while Joe and Jess kept furtively looking at each other's, hands looking for the other' and fingers brushing, leg slightly touching. They were just waiting for Jules to leave the room.

"Well I better start getting ready! Do you guys mind if I shower first?"

"Go for it" Joe said.

They waited for Jules to collect her clothes and close the bathroom door.

 _Clack_

Their lips met instantly in a furious kiss, Joe's hands were all over Jess' body and she swiftly moved on top of him while he laid down on the bed. Oh they had missed each other. All the pent up passion of 4 month spent apart was pouring out and they both started working at each other clothes, totally lost in their desire.

Jess had quickly unbuttoned his Joe's shirt and was rooming her hands freely on his chest, relinquishing the contact with his skin. Their lips were playing with each other, Joe needly searching for her, pushing up against her body, pulling her closer to him.

They didn't notice that the water had stopped running and they didn't hear the door open to let a showered and dressed Jules out.

"Right, please continue on as if I weren't here" Jules was a little shocked by the show in front of her. She couldn't help but laugh when the two lovers quickly broke it off and sat down looking all embarrassed. They really hadn't meant for that to happen, they just got lost in it and got carried away. They didn't even get a word out while Jules quickly grabbed her bag:

"Anyhow, I have some football tactic to discuss with our captain, I'll see you both in a few hours! So happy you are here Joe" and she left with a smile and a wave. She could tell that they only wanted to be together and she was going to give them the privacy they needed.

As soon as she left Joe looked at Jess, his desire clear in his eyes, his love and passion driving his actions. His mouth was quickly on hers and he gently but quickly made her lay on the bed with him on top. Jess was responding to his desire with just as much passion and it didn't take long for all of their clothes to be on the ground. Neither had planned for it to happen but neither had managed to keep their hands off each other. It had been so long since she had felt Joe's mouth on her body, his hands exploring her soft skin, his body hot and sweaty, hard with desire for her. She was moaning wildly while his hands were at work on her and that sound was pushing Joe even harder. He had missed her so much, he wanted to let her know, he wanted her to feel all his desire for her. He was pressing his erection on her body, touching her clitoris with it and they started moving their bodies in sink. "Oh Jess, I want you so badly" he couldn't help but say the truth. He had been dreaming about making love to her for so many months, it was like torture. "Oh Joe, I want you too" those were the words Joe wanted to hear. He wanted to act on them but he knew that they were just getting carried away. Using all of his willpower, he decided not to take her there and then, even if she had just opened her legs wide open in front of him and was wet and ready. He had no idea how but he managed to stop before it was too late. "Jess I can't, we can't, I love you so much, I want it to be right" he was panting with repressed desire but he meant it. "But I love you Joe, I want you!" "Not now" he said "if after this, after we have calmed down, if you still want me them…" he didn't have to say what he was going to do then. Once he mastered to say it, he moved his mouth down on her, licking and kissing and inserting the tip of one finger. Jess was moaning uncontrollably but she didn't want to come yet. She wanted to come with Joe. She stopped him and pushed him off, reversing their position. Joe looked at her surprised and she explained "I want to make you come at the same time" and she turned around. She started sucking him and opened her legs inviting him to continue what he was previously doing. Joe surprise at Jess' move quickly changed in delight and he gladly got to work. They had never done this before and it felt incredible to have Jess sucking him and touching him (she had become really good at it!) and to be doing the same to her. She was getting really close and so was he, his dick was super hard in her mouth. She took it all in her mouth, all the way to the base of his cock and at the same time Joe inserted a second finger tip in her. Neither could hold it back anymore and they came simultaneously in one of the strongest orgasm yet. Jess had swallowed his semen, for the first time, it tasted weird but she decided she didn't dislike it. She loved the fact that it was Joe's and that it was what she had done to make him come. Still panting Joe grabbed her and hugged her tight. "Thank you, that was amazing" he breathed out before kissing her passionately. After a few minutes of making out their bodies were rubbing at each other's and Joe was surprise to feel something stir down there again. Jess felt that too "Oh oh, don't tell me that wasn't enough for you" He smiled lasciviously "I am never going to have enough of you" and he covered her mouth with his. This time they moved a lot more slowly. The urgency gone from their touch, it was slow love making and by the end of it they were both exhausted but over the moon.

"Guys can I come in? Are you ready?" Jules asked after having knocked.

Joe and Jules were still naked in each other arms. He had been caressing her face, playing with her hair and depositing soft kisses on her forehead, eyes, cheeks, nose, lips. She had been laying there, in his arms, staring in his light blue eyes, moving her hand on his bare chest.

"Don't come in!" They both shouted in response, shaken out of their love bubble. Jules giggled and exasperated added "You have been at it for 3 hours, haven't you had enough?"

Joe looked in Jess's eyes and whispered to her "I am never going to have enough of you" and he leaned in to kiss her with all his love.

Jules was waiting outside the door and when she got no response she said "You both better stop whatever it is you are doing now and get ready! We are meeting everyone for dinner in 30 minutes and the place is 15 minutes away from here! You wouldn't want all of our friends to have a bad first impression would you?!"

"I should go shower" Jess muttered apologetically. "So should I" Joe replied with a smirk as he got up and took her hand, leading her in the ensuite.

"Guys can I come in now? Have you found your cloths? They should be somewhere on the floor" she joked.

"You can come in Jules" Joe said through the bathroom closed door.

Jules opened her door room and came in. She quickly took in Jess' bedding appearance and the smell in the room and even though there were no cloths on the floor she had no doubt what had been happening in the room. "You better really shower and not get up to anything else in there" she scolded once she realised that both Jess and Joe were in the bathroom together.

"Yes mum" Jess retorted.

Joe moved up behind her, pushing his body against hers and depositing a line of kissing on her neck. "Mmm Joe we can't do this, we need to get ready" "I am only here to help my dear, see, let me make sure you are all soaped up" and he grabbed the soap and started moving it all over her body. His left hand slid in between her tights. Jess moaned. "Joe how have you not had enough yet?" "I told you" he feigned surprise "I will never have enough of you" and captured her lips in his.

Joe was holding Jess's turned body against his. His penis pressing under her butt cheeks, his right hand against the shower wall, his left between her legs. Jess moaned more loudly.

"Oh my god guys, are you having sex in the shower!" Jules shouted "So gross, stop right now" Joe didn't seem to take notice of the blonde's words "If you don't stop right now I am gonna come in, take a photo of you two and send it to Jess' parents!" That worked. With her parents image in her mind Jess gently and reluctantly pushed Joe away "I promise I'll make it up to you tonight". Joe eyes contained all the passion and desire he was feeling and that look made Jess quiver to her core. When he looked at her like that, there was nothing she wanted to deny him. "5, 4, 3" Jules started counting "Okay Jules okay no need to come in, you are officially a buzz kill" Joe shouted at her. "Me, the buzzkill! For not wanting my shower desecrated! You would do the same if Mark and I were in your shower!" "Who is Mark?" Joe asked through the closed door. "Well if you manage to keep your hand off Jess for long enough you might get to meet him at dinner, in 10 minutes!"

Somehow Joe and Jess managed to actually shower and got out of the bathroom wrapped in towels. "Now hurry up getting changed! I would wait outside but I don't trust you so I am going to stay here and turn around while you two put some cloths on!" She crossed her arms and turned around. "We are not 5 Jules, we can get dressed on our own" Joe complained "Oh I know that, I am sure that you can get dressed on your own alright, I don't think that you can get dressed while you are standing so close to each other, your hormones seem to have gone a little crazy over these past few months" She smirked. Putting like a 5 year old Joe started getting dress, Jess found that too funny and started laughing and soon the other two joined in realising how ridiculous the situation was. Eventually all three of them were clothed and ready to go, and they were only half an hour late.

DINNER

Captain: "Finally you made it" Jules: "Not my fault, you try make these two stop making out!" Jess and Joe blush that she was talking about that in front of everyone. Joe gets introduced around. He meets Mark, likes him. Fun night, plenty to drink. They go to a club. Dancing. They keep getting caught making out heavily. Apparently is the new game of the night, wins who find Joe and Jess making out the most times. The alcohol is letting them loose, and they are so far away from being discovered so Jess is so much more relaxed. Joe's hands are all over Jess and they dance super sensual. Joe had her pinned against a wall and is kissing her neck the way he does when he is working on her and Jess: "Joe let's go somewhere private" they retreat to their room. The still don't have sex as Joe wants to wait, make sure it's appropriate and special.

Jules never came back, she could see what was going on when those two left and decided to leave them privacy. She went to Mark's. She doesn't have the same problems holding her back.

Morning Jules takes a photo of them cuddling under the blanked coz they looked so cute. They wake. Joe was starting to move against her as he was half asleep and hadn't realised Jules is there: "Yuck Joe get a grip and let Jess rest, I am in the room" he is wide awake then and crimson. Girls laugh at him. Spend the day sightseeing with Jules and Mark. Very good fun. They have a dinner just the 4 of them. Jules sleeps in her bed that night so nothing happens.

The other week Joe and Jess explore Cali, have great holiday and love each other even more.

SUMMER

After another 4 months apart Jess is back in Hounslow.

They tell her parents. Takes them a month to come around.

Pinkie covers for them in the mean time.

Joe's bday they make real love.

Joe's sister Siobhan comes to stay with him in August while she waits for her uni accomodation. She walks in on them so many times.

THANKSGIVING

They all go Mark's house

CHRISTMAS

Joe proposes


End file.
